Everyone hates being the new kid
by Firefly070995
Summary: When the team loses Lagoon Boy, Nightwing decides that the team needs a new member. But how will the rest of the team react to this Spoiler and just how far will she go to prove that she isnt just a replacement. Between dealing with an upset M'gann and a very hot Robin, this girl has her work cut out for her. Set after Depths. Rubbish summary :P
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This fic came out of a prompt that I received on Tumblr. Basically she wanted me to write something where her RP character joined the Young Justice team, and so this fic was born :D It got a lot longer than I thought it would be. I never thought I would be doing a multi chapter fic. Anywho, here it is. Reviews are much appreciated because I am still a pretty new writer.**

**Onwards!**

.oO Oo.

The mountain was almost completely silent. No sounds of laughing or training filled the air. There was none of the usual burnt cookie smell that normally hung around the kitchen area either. The place could have been empty.

The quiet was shattered by the whir of the zeta beam as it came to life. "Recognised Nightwing B1" came the cool female voice. The familiar silhouette of the former boy wonder slowly appeared as he walked through the portal opening. With a single glance he took in the empty room before turning to the control panel situated by the entrance to the zeta tube. After a couple of seconds of vigorous typing the disembodied voice spoke again "Override Nightwing B1, recognised Spoiler B17" He turned again so he was facing the tube and held his breath as the machine began to start up. He was really hoping that this would go down well.

.oO Oo.

Stephanie Brown, aka Spoiler, rocked on her heels as she waited by a disused phone box. If someone had told her 2 months ago that she would one day meet the Young Justice team and even join their ranks she would have said they were crazy. Yet here she was. Her hands reached for her deep purple hood for the 10th time that minute. It was a nervous habit of hers. "Get a hold of yourself" She muttered under her breath as she clasped her hands together to stop herself from fiddling with any other aspect of her costume. Suddenly a light appeared from within the phone box and after a second a computerised female voice spoke, "Recognised Spoiler B17".

_This is it _she told herself and with a deep breath she opened the door and walked into the light.

Getting transported by a zeta beam was an unusual experience. There wasn't any pain or even any discomfort like she thought there would be. Instead she felt warm and then there was a rushing sensation. When the blinding light finally started to disperse around her, Stephanie found herself in a large cavernous space, very unlike the dingy back ally she had been standing in a second ago.

"Wow" She whispered "Just...wow" She found herself rubbing her arms as residual tingling swept through her body.

"Don't worry about the tingling, you'll get used to it" A voice came from beside her

She jumped. She had been so caught up with the size of the place that she had totally missed the fact that Nightwing was standing right next to her. He raised an eye brow as she quickly righted herself.

"So err... where is everyone?" She asked trying to cover up how jumpy she was.

"Around" He replied as he walked towards the centre of the room. Steph followed him, still looking around in wonder. Nightwing taped something on his arm and suddenly half a dozen big screens appeared, hanging suspended in the air. Steph couldn't stop her eyes from widening and a grin flashed across her face. This place was _so_ cool.

"Now," Said Nightwing, turning so that his whole body faced the shorter girl in front of him "remember what I told you. The team is still grieving. It's only been two weeks since we lost... it hit us all really hard, so try not to judge them on how they are acting right now."

Steph looked up at the masked man in front of her. He looked so sad and worn down, like he was carrying the world on his shoulders.

"Are you sure that now is the right time Nightwing?" She asked. Even though this was everything she had wanted, she didn't want to be here if she wasn't welcome.

"Yes," His voice was suddenly strong "The team needs this, they can't carry on the way they are going. They need to get back in the game."

He then pressed another button on his arm and spoke. Steph jumped again as his voice suddenly boomed out from everywhere.

"Team meeting in the training room in 5, I've got news. Nightwing out"

"What now?" Steph asked, her hands once again clutching her hood.

"Now we wait" He responded


	2. Chapter 2

Tim sat in the rec room. There hadn't always been a rec room at Mount Justice, but seeing as the mountain was full of bored teenagers half the time, the Justice League had thought it was a good idea. Especially after the time, in a fit of boredom, Conner had tossed a football through the gym wall. In the room were a couple of game consoles along with a large collection of books and a comfortable looking couch. That was where Tim sat, staring into space. The room was empty apart from him; even so, he still supported a pair of dark sunglasses along with his grey jumper and dark jeans. A knock on the door snapped him out of his trance.

"Hey Tim" came a low female voice. The young teen didn't have to look to see who it was. Only two people in this mountain knew his real name and only one of them was a girl.

"Hey Babs" he replied, his voice croaky from a lack of use. Barbra didn't ask him why he was sitting in silence and alone. She didn't ask him if he was ok or if he wanted to talk. She just sat down next to him, close but so that they weren't touching and let the silence claim the room again. Tim didn't know how long they sat like that, both of them staring at the wall opposite in complete silence. But eventually Tim moved and lent his head on her shoulder, a second passed and then Barbra wrapped one arm around him. They were still sitting like this when their older team mate's voice suddenly filled the room.

"_Team meeting in the training room in 5, I've got news. Nightwing out"_

The message had barely finished before a green blur skidded into the room.

"Did you guys hear? I bet Nightwing has news on Lagoon Boy!" The green blur, that was actually an excited Beast Boy, yammered.

"BB, I don't think..." Barbra tried to say

"This is great! I'm gonna get Blue and M'gann!" He interrupted her and changed into a cheetah before running out of the room as fast as he had entered it. Tim and Barbra shared a look before rising to their feet and heading out of the door themselves.

The pair arrived at the training room before the rest of the team got there. Probably because Beast Boy was still busy rounding everyone up. No sooner had this thought crossed Tim's mind when he heard the echoes of footsteps coming up behind him. Beast Boy was dragging along a down cast M'gann by her hand. Behind them came Blue Beetle, Superboy, Bumble Bee and Wonder Girl. Beast Boy was still talking at a speed that would rival that of a Flash.

"Ok, everyone is here, except Mal, he couldn't make it." Nightwing's voice came from in front of the team. Beast Boy stopped talking as soon as he saw their leader, even though he had known him since he was Robin, Beast Boy was still in slight awe of the man.

Tim however, wasn't paying any attention to his leader and brother. Instead he was staring at the girl standing a little behind Nightwing. She was wearing a dark mask that covered her whole face. Over her head she wore a dark purple hood the same colour as the skin tight body suit that covered the rest of her. Around her waist was a black belt that looked like it held the same sort of thing his did, when he was in his Robin uniform. She also wore just below the knee black boots and long black gloves. Finishing the look was a long purple cape. Looking at her, he couldn't tell how old she was, but if he had to guess, he would say around his age. With effort, Tim pulled his gaze away from the girl and concentrated on Dick who was currently trying to field all the questions the team was throwing at him.

"Look, I've already said it. As soon as I hear anything I will tell you. So far there has been very little news on La'gaan. But you've got to give it more time...it's only been a couple of weeks." His head turned slightly to M'gann who was biting her lip in an effort to stop it from wobbling. Nightwing sighed and made his voice kinder. "We are doing everything we can to get La'gaan back, I promise. But it doesn't change the fact that we are one member down. That is why I would like to introduce Spoiler. She will be working with us from now on."

Nightwing stepped to one side and Tim saw the girl, Spoiler, take a deep breath and straighten her shoulders as she turned to face the Team.

"Hi"


	3. Chapter 3

Stephanie felt her heart thudding in her chest as she stepped out of the safety that was Nightwing's shadow. It was kind of overwhelming, standing in front of them. Seeing all their eyes snap to her and take her in, her costume, her size. It felt like she was being stripped down to the bone for everyone to see. Even though around half of them were dressed in Civvies, they were still an impressive sight. Standing closest to her was a tall girl dressed in dark jeans and a t-shirt. Her deep red hair was pulled back in to a scruffy bun and covering her eyes was a pair of dark sun glasses. Next to her was a shorter boy. He too wore dark glasses. Steph could see the panels of his toned body through the grey jumper he wore. She found herself momentarily distracted and for once was glad of the dark mask that hid her face as she felt her blood rush to colour her cheeks. _Moving on_ she told herself.

Standing a little further back was the rest of the team. The first person to catch her eye was a large muscular teen. He had icy blue eyes and on his black shirt was the S shield she would recognise anywhere. _That must be Superboy_. He was standing almost protectively in front of a green skinned red head. Whereas Superboy's gaze was suspicious and weary, the Martian's (what else could she be?) stare was out right hostile. Steph felt a chill work its way up her spine. She didn't know what it was, but having that girl stare at her was one of the most frightening experiences she had ever gone through. Steph found herself unable to look away. Finally, after what felt like years, the girl broke eye contact. Steph couldn't stop the small sigh of relief that escaped her lips. _What's her problem?_

Before Steph could analyse any of the other team members, Nightwing's voice broke the silence of the cavernous room.

"No, it's not like that." He said, staring down the Martian girl. Steph looked around and found she wasn't the only one that seemed confused by their leader's outburst.

"Then tell me what it is like, Nightwing?" The girl spoke back; her voice trembled a little bit but her eyes where steely. _Were they having a physic conversation?_ Another look around at the assembled teenagers confirmed this suspicion. They no longer looked confused, just slightly uncomfortable. Like they were listening in on a private conversation.

"Nobody is getting replaced." Nightwing replied firmly.

"That's not what it looks like!" The girl brushed angry tears out of her eyes

"We are not going to stop looking for Lagoon Boy! But the fact remains-"

"I didn't know you could be so cold Nightwing. You're acting like..." the Martian paused.

"Like who?"

"Like Batman!" The girl finally shouted.

The cave went completely silent. Nightwing had frozen. He was staring at the green girl in front of him. Nobody moved. Then suddenly the girl turned on her heel and swept out of the room, her cape billowing out behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has left a review or alerted this story, it really made my day :) I'll try to answer any questions you might have through PM. Also because I totally forgot last time, here it is just to make things clear:**

**I do not own Young Justice or the character of Spoiler which belongs to DC comics. **

**Erm I think that's it, the next chapter should be up pretty soon, seeing as I have already written most of it. Oh yeah, one more thing...I know the chapters are a bit short (around the 700 word count) if you would like them to be longer then please say so in a review :D**

**Onwards!**

.oO Oo.

Nobody broke the silence that penetrated the cave. Superboy was looking at the floor, his arms crossed tightly over his chest and a frown mashing his eyebrows together. Wonder girl was clutching the arm of Bumble bee; both girls looked uncomfortable and like they would rather not be there. The most heart breaking sight however, was Beast boy. The 13 year old was trembling slightly, his mouth open and his eyes darting between where M'gann had just been and the still frozen figure of Nightwing. He looked like a child stuck between two parents as they argued for the first time. Tim found his eyes drawn once again to the purple clad figure standing beside his brother. She also looked to be in shock. She was standing stock still, her head slightly bowed and her fists were clenched by her sides. Tim felt sympathy rise up in side of him.

Suddenly there came the buzzing sound that Tim instantly recognised as a comm. Link being called. Nightwing unfroze and sighed before pressing his ear.

"Nightwing. I'm kinda busy right now...can't the police handle...again? *Sigh*...I guess...yeah...I'll be right there." Nightwing pressed his ear again before turning to face the team. "I've got to go; something's come up in Gotham."

Barbara's head snapped up and Nightwing met her eyes before continuing.

"I'll be back as soon as possible, until then, Robin can you give Spoiler the grand tour and get her settled in. Everyone else..." He sighed again "Give M'gann some space, I'll speak to her when I get back. I know this is hard for all of you...for all of us. But I know we can pull through, we have done it before. It's what Arte...it's what they would of wanted." Tim felt a lump form in his throat as Dick stumbled over Artemis' name.

He hadn't really known the blond archer that well, but he had known how much she had meant to Dick. Since her death, Dick seemed to be carrying around so much guilt. He had never told any of them just how Wally had taken it when he had told him the news. But he guessed that the retired speedster had blamed Nightwing for his girlfriend's death, just like Dick blamed himself.

Nightwing ran a hand down his masked face as he sighed tiredly. He turned to the new girl and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be back later. Remember what I said earlier." The girl nodded her purple hooded head and Nightwing gave her a tight smile. He then turned away and headed for the zeta tube.

As Nightwing left, the rest of the team huddled together, murmuring in soft voices to each other. The ever emotional Wonder girl bent down to give Beast Boy a hug, which he returned half heartedly. As the team talked, they kept shooting glances over at Spoiler but didn't approach her. _Guess that's my job. _Tim thought as he walked over to the girl. Before he reached her though, he noticed Barbara whispering to Dick in front of the opening to the zeta beam portal. Tim paused as he watched two members of his extended family talk to each other in hushed tones. _What is going on?_

Barbara seemed to be asking Nightwing something, her expression was a mix of worry and anger. Dick then shook his head at whatever she had said. Barbara pursed her lips and folded her arms. Even from where he stood on the other side of the room, Tim could make out Dick's slight smirk at Barbara's obvious displeasure. He then turned and saw Tim staring at the two of them. The youngest bat looked away, but he knew Nightwing had already spotted him. If he had kept watching he would have seen Dick say one last thing to Barbara and clasp one of her hands in his, before walking forward and disappearing in a flash of light through the Zeta tube. But he wasn't watching, he was too busy once again looking at the girl in purple.

"Staring is rude you know" Tim was quite proud to say that he didn't jump about a foot in the air from the sudden voice beside him. His cheeks did however turn a delicate shade of pink from being caught out in his ogling. Barbara (only another bat could sneak up on a bat) laughed at his obvious discomfort. "Come on lets go say hi to the poor girl, she is probably already regretting her decision to join the team. Let's see if we can't restore her faith in humanity a little shall we?" She said lightly before heading over to the newest team member.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Ok so here is the update. This one is a full 600 words longer than I normally do! Hope you like :D **

**A couple of things before you start reading: First off, I haven't actually read the comics, so the character of Stephanie comes completely from what I have found out on wiki. This means that she might seem at bit OOC to some of you, so sorry about that :S.**

**Another thing, I have nothing against any of the characters of the new young justice team (except La'gaan, I just don't like him :P) but for the purpose of this story, I needed some of them to be a little mean. **

**Ok I think that's it so...**

**Onwards!**

.oO Oo.

This was not how Stephanie had envisioned her joining the Young Justice team would go. Sure, she understood that they had just lost two close friends and that they were still grieving. But never in her wildest dreams did she think that there would be a shouting match. That one of the team members would storm off. Or that having her around would, in effect, cause a little green monkey boy to act like someone had just kicked a puppy in front of him. No, this was definitely **not** how she thought it would go. Steph looked up in time to see the two teens wearing dark glasses heading towards her.

"Hi" She said again. In the back of her mind Spoiler realised that that was as far as she had got with the rest of the team before things had started to go south. The dark haired boy had obviously had the same thought because he grimaced slightly before smiling at the girl in front of him.

"Sorry about all that, normally M'gann is the nicest person you could meet, but after the mission...let's just say that tensions are running a little high at the moment." The boy said, rubbing the back of his head. Steph noticed that his cheeks were slightly pink and he seemed to be avoiding making direct eye contact with her.

"That's ok," Spoiler sighed "I can understand that some of you won't be all that happy to have a new face around at the moment. As she spoke she tried to quench the feelings of bitter disappointment that came with her words.

The dark haired boy looked slightly uncomfortable with what she had said and quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, I suppose it isn't too late to officially welcome you to the Team. I'm Robin and this is Batgirl" He said gesturing first to himself then to the girl standing beside him.

Being from Gotham, Steph knew quite a lot about the Bat clan. It had been for years now that she had been hearing tales of her city's masked vigilante. It was almost like he had always been there. If she was honest with herself, she knew that she actually owed the Dark knight a lot. If it hadn't been for him, going out there, fighting crime, Stephanie would never have become Spoiler. If it hadn't been for him she would still be at home, unhappy, depressed and desperate to find a way out of the life her father lead. If it hadn't been for him, she wouldn't be where she was right now.

Of course, that didn't make him any less scary.

Batgirl smiled at Steph and reached out a hand. "It's nice to see you again, or you know, actually talk to you this time" The girl said, her grin widening.

_Wait a minute, __**again**__?_ Stephanie was pretty sure she had never seen Batgirl before today. Robin seemed equally confused.

"Do you two know each other?"He asked, eyebrows raised.

"No, not really...I mean I've seen you in action" The older girl shrugged. Stephanie felt her stomach drop at Batgirls casual words. She had been watched?

"I mean, Batman's been keeping an eye on you for months now, "the red head continued

"No kidding" Steph choked out, her stomach dropping another few feet.

"Yeah, he can be really weird like that about people heroing in Gotham. You should have seen how long it took him to accept me!" Batgirl grinned

Spoiler didn't know how she felt about being watched. Although now thinking about it, she realised she had been naive to think that she could dress up and run around Gotham **without** the Bat knowing. Did this mean he knew who she was? Steph found herself wondering. Even if he did, he didn't seem to hold it against her, seeing as he hadn't actually **stopped** her from swinging off roof tops.

Stephanie's inner turmoil was interrupted by a girl's voice saying "You're from Gotham?" She hadn't realised that the rest of the team had stopped talking and were listening in on her and Batgirls conversation.

"Um, yeah" She replied, wondering where this could be going.

A blond girl, fiddling with a lasso that hung from her waist, stepped forward. As she spoke, Steph recognised her voice from the person who had asked the first question.

"That's pretty cool. I always heard that it's really dangerous to work in Gotham, especially without backup." The girl said, her eyes widening slightly.

Steph felt her insides glow a little with pride at the blonds impressed tone. She heard Robin 'humph' quietly from beside her. Obviously he had never got recognition for working in one of America's most crime ridden cities. It must be hard not being the first Robin. She mused to herself; he would always be compared to the original, no matter what he did.

"Yeah but I bet she only took on the petty crimes," A black girl wearing a yellow and black costume said addressing the blond "It's not like she was taking on the **Joker** by herself, Cassie."

Stephanie felt her cheeks redden and her teeth clench at the girl's dismissive voice.

"I may not have fought the Joker, but it's not like I go around only stopping muggings. I do other stuff." She bit out.

"Like what?" Came the obvious follow up question. Steph mentally kicked herself for getting herself into this situation on her first day.

"You know...stuff" Stephanie replied. She couldn't exactly say that she used to go out nightly to foil her father's evil plans. That would just lead to loads more questions that she couldn't answer.

As she knew she would be, the girl was completely unimpressed with Steph's answer and proceeded to show this by rolling her eyes to the blond Cassie who then giggled.

"Oh leave her alone, Bee." Batgirl said mildly "Don't some of you have training to catch up on or something?"

A collective groan swept through the assembled teens. Along with mumbles of "I'm too tired", "You're as bad a Nightwing" and "What! Now?"

Batgirl put her hands on her hips "If you ever expect to get another mission, you can't be sitting around moping all the time. It's time to get back in the game." She said firmly "If Batman were here he would be kicking all our asses."

The teens ducked their heads at the bat-glare the tall girl was sending them. They knew she was right. A few of them, including a boy dressed in a weird blue armour thing and Cassie, murmured a quiet "Nice to meet you" towards Stephanie before leaving the room.

Soon the only people left were Stephanie, Robin and Batgirl. The red head sighed before turning to face Spoiler.

"Now, how about a tour?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here is the next chapter wheeee! :D I have to admit, this was really hard to write, especially the first part. Idk it just seems really stilted to me... :( hopefully it's still alright though. Thanks again to the two people that left reviews to the last chapter, they make me really happy and encourage me to write, I love you both :D**

**Onwards!**

.oO Oo.

Tim stole yet another glance at the girl walking beside him. Throughout the whole tour he had found his eyes drawn to her again and again. He didn't know what it was about her that interested him so much; they had barely even said two words to each other. The purple clad girl seemed to be lost in thought and wasn't really paying attention to Batgirl, who at that moment was describing the cave's kitchen facilities.

"-and that's about it really." Barbara concluded with a smile, "Any questions?"

"No, I think I've got everything." Spoiler said "Actually just one question...What the hell is that?" her voice was calm but her finger shock slightly as she pointed at the giant white wolf that had just entered the room.

"Oh, that's Wolf" Robin said matter of factly

"I can see that." She responded meekly

Tim laughed "Don't worry, he's Conner's or should I say Superboy's pet...of sorts"

The large animal sniffed the air before his head snapped to face the new comer. His dark eyes bored into the girl and his lip rose ever so slightly in a quiet growl. To her credit, Spoiler didn't scream, runaway or even whimper as the giant mutt stalked towards her, scenting the air every few steps. When he finally stood in front of her, he bent his nose to sniff at her hood. A couple of tense seconds passed. Nobody moved. Wolf took one final sniff before making a huffing noise in the back of his throat. He then turned a walked out of the room as if nothing had happened.

"Huh, well at least Wolf thinks you're alright" Tim said cheerfully. The girl turned to face him and Tim had an inkling that she was about to say something sarcastic when she froze. From where the three of them stood in the kitchen area, they could clearly hear the voices of two people as they walked down the corridor leading to the room.

"-think he's doing?" came a boy's voice. Tim recognised it as Conner's

"Well, he obviously thinks it will be good for the team..." answered a younger boy's voice. Jaime.

"We don't need this right now"

"Come on Conner, you haven't even given the girl a chance." Tim looked over at Barbara; she was biting her lip and didn't look happy. _This isn't good_ Tim thought as the voices slowly got louder.

"We don't need another newbie to look after, we need Wally"

"You know Wally won't come back, especially not now..."

"I know" Conner sighed, the sound echoing down the corridor. "I just hope she doesn't get us all killed, we can't afford any more mistakes right now."

Jaime hummed in agreement. The two passed the entrance to the kitchen and kept walking towards the hanger bay. The rest of their conversation was lost as they walked further away.

Tim turned to find Spoiler, to reassure her, to say that they didn't mean it. But the words died in his throat. She wasn't there. The kitchen was empty apart from him and Barbara. And in the distance Tim could just make out the sound of the zeta beam activating.

"Recognised Spoiler B17"

.oO Oo.

Stephanie sat, crouched next to one of the gothic spires that decorated one of the many crumbling, disused churches of Gotham. As a whole, her city wasn't very religious. Personally, Spoiler thought it had something to do with the too many cries of help and unanswered prayers that drowned the dark streets she patrolled. People had given up on the hope of ever being rescued by an all powerful being.

Sighing, Steph wrapped her arms around her thin body. The wind that swept through downtown Gotham could be vicious at times. The only real upside to it was how good she looked when her cape billowed out behind her like it was doing at that moment. But even that thought couldn't cheer her up. Not tonight. No, tonight Stephanie Brown was quite content to wallow in self pity. She just felt so angry and rejected. The young heroes that she had idolised and looked up to basically thought she was a cheap knockoff. An impersonator. A second rate wanna-be.

Was it because she was the only non-meta human that didn't have a cool, powerful, justice league worthy mentor? Or was it simply because they thought she was there to replace their missing member? What was it about her that had made them judge her so quickly? Sighing again, Stephanie trained her binoculars on the alley beneath her feet. What she really needed right now was somebody to take out her frustration on.

"Come on, come on" She muttered as her eyes swept the shadows. Daylight wasn't far off and the thick darkness that usual covered the city was slowly lifting in favour of a dirty grey colour that promised a cold, damp morning.

"Give me something to do..." Almost at once her wish was granted. Out of the morning mist, Spoiler heard deep gruff voices. Slowly she slithered off the roof, landing crouched behind a dumpster, and she held her breath, ears straining to catch their words.

"I'm tellin' ya Joe, the Bat aint around, no one seen 'im in months" The voice drifted towards where Steph was hiding.

"That don't mean nothin' an' you know it" A younger voice replied, his tone higher than that of his companions.

"If he is still kickin' then he obviously got bigger fings on 'is plate, only the bat's brats are in Gotham at the moment"

"So you say." The one called Joe mumbled, but he seemed reassured and was silent for a few seconds. "Whats the boss want wif this place anyway, Bob?"

"I don't ask. The guy gives me the creeps" answered Bob. Steph heard the sound of match being struck, the light flared for a moment before being replaced with the unmistakable glow of a cigarette end.

"They say that he's just as likely to kill the guys he hires as he is to pay them." Joe's voice broke slightly on the word 'kill'.

"Na, thats just a rumour. Nobody would work for 'im if it were true. 'Specially wif the way he looks"

"What, the 'air?"

"Not just the hair...it's the 'ole face. And his laugh...don't get me started on 'is laugh"

The men were silent for a few seconds.

"Well, as long as the Joker delivers, he can sound however he likes." Bob said finally, flicking away the butt of his cigarette.

_They're working for the Joker!_ Stephanie thought with excitement. _But I thought he was meant to be locked up...This is big._ For a second Steph wondered if she should call the Team or Nightwing. Then she remembered the scorn of Bumblebee's voice _"It's not like she was taking on the Joker by herself, Cassie."_ Her fists tightened at the memory. Screw the Team; she could do this on her own.

Stephanie spied a crushed soda can and snatched it up. She took a moment to gauge its weight in her hand before chucking it over the heads of the two men who were now discussing the pro's and con's of a crowbar as a weapon. The can fell in a perfect arc and hit the ground about two yards away from the thugs. At once the two jumped up and aimed guns down the alley... in the total opposite direction to where Spoiler was hiding. Slowly she stood up and crept up behind the taller bloke who she thought was probably Bob.

In a single leap she was on his back. Quickly, while she still had the element of surprise, she wrapped an arm around his thick neck and tightened her hold. The man beneath her gave a strangled yelp, causing his younger partner to whirl around and fire a blind shot. Spoiler ducked as she felt the bullet whip past her hood. _Damn that was close_.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, you're more likely to hit him than you are me" She spat out; her arm burning from the large mans attempts to throw her off.

Joe looked horrified at that thought and quickly lowered the gun he had pointed at his friend. The older guys' struggling was becoming weaker. He gave one final buck before collapsing. Spoiler didn't give the younger thug anytime to re-aim his gun. She jumped and swung one leg out and round knocking the weapon out of his hands. He fell back with a surprised squeak and landed on his ass in a very undignified manner.

"Ok, talk." Spoiler demanded as she pushed the guy back down with her foot when he attempted to get back up.

"B-But we didn't do anything!"

"Can we skip the whole denial part please? I know you work for the joker, now spill." She snapped

"I-I don't-"He stuttered

"Or would you rather find out first hand just how 'gone' the bat really is?" It was an empty threat, and Spoiler knew it, but Joe didn't.

"Fine! I'll talk! I don't know much alright, just that the Joker broke out earlier and he wanted us to scope out this area. Before you ask, no I don't know what for" he said hurriedly

"How did he get out? Tell me!" Spoiler pressed down harder on his chest with the foot she still had resting on the guy's torso.

"I don't know! I wernt part of that!"The thug wheezed "I don't know nofing else! I promise"

"Where is he hiding?" She demanded her excitement rising.

"East side, I don't know where exactly. I'm just a grunt! I'm just a grunt." The man said the last line in a sob. Looking closer, Stephanie realised that the guy still had acne and couldn't be any older than 21.

"Alright, I believe you" she said and took her foot on the man's chest. Joe breathed a sigh of relief that turned into a grunt as Spoiler kicked him in the face, knocking him out.

"Sorry, Joe" She muttered as she bent down to tie him to his partner. "But I've got a Joker to catch"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Wow this is a loooong one :D **

**Look at the bottom for added A/N**

**Onwards!**

.oO Oo.

Wayne manner was quiet. Which once upon a time wouldn't have been that big of a deal. But since the introduction of several teenagers to the large building a couple of years ago, there was hardly a calm moment in the home of playboy millionaire, Bruce Wayne anymore. Today was different though, and Tim had to say, he kind of liked it.

Normally, even at this early hour, there would be the loud sounds of Dick and Barbara in the middle of one of their legendary arguments:

_("I don't care what you say Dick, 'mused' is not the opposite of amused! It's already got a meaning! "_

"_You, woman, have no imagination")_

Competing with the noise of Alfred trying to coerce his charge into eating breakfast:

_("But I'm not hungry Alfred; anyway I don't have any time!"_

"_I must insist sir that you at least have a piece of toast, won't take but a minute to make and you can eat it in the car.")_

But today, no one was in the house but him. Barbara was at home with her father, Alfred was visiting relatives in England while Bruce was off world and Dick was still sorting out the problem that had called him away from the Mountain yesterday. This meant that Tim could take a long, leisurely shower for once. He could cook whatever he wanted for breakfast. He could even miss school if he wanted to, as there was no adult present to force him to get on the school bus when it finally trundled its way up his road.

Tim was debating whether or not he could manage another blueberry muffin when his communicator buzzed on the table. It was a smallish device that could have been easily mistaken for a high end mobile phone, what with its sleek silver design. However, only people from the Team or the Bat family had the number. Dusting the crumbs off his fingers, Tim reached for it and checked its screen. The name Nightwing flashed in time to its pulsating. He tapped it before lifting the device to his ear.

"Hey man, I was thinking I could skip school today, we could do something together. I mean we haven't really hung out since Bruce-"

"Robin?" An unfamiliar female voice interrupted Tim.

"Wha- Who is this? How did you get this number?" He demanded, all friendliness gone from his voice.

"Its-its Spoiler, something's happened," Her voice was wobbly, like she was trying to hold back tears, "I-I need your help."

.oO Oo.

**3 Hours Earlier**

Spoiler was knackered. Her arms ached, her feet ached, even her eye lids ached, which was a very bazaar sensation, she had to admit. She had been searching the East Side of Gotham for hours. By this time the sun was visible, hovering just on top on the horizon line and Stephanie was ready to admit that she should just go home and sleep. Sighing, she ran a hand wearily down her face; she took once last quick look around her, trying to see anything that might clue her in on the Joker's location.

The East Side of Gotham was a dismal place. The few houses that were stationed there were drab little buildings that only the very desperate lived in. The air was thick with the smell of factory waste and the fumes from cars. One of the only good things about the area was that there wasn't much chance of being mugged or knifed. Petty crime wasn't tolerated in the East Side. This was where the big boys played.

Being pretty new to the whole heroing business, Spoiler had so far kept her crime fighting to the west of Gotham and Crime alley. That was where the drug deals went down, where the muggers roamed and where the predators hunted. Those she could deal with. In the East Side of her dark city was the organised crime. Where murderers were called Villains, not criminals. Where people like the Penguin or the Scarecrow worked. It wasn't a good place for a young hero to be.

Stephanie knew all of this. What had kept her going for so long had been the voice of Bumble Bee in her head, telling her she wasn't good enough. Now however, with exhaustion shaking her limbs the embarrassment over what the team had said had finally worn off. The only thing left in its place was a nagging shame that she had let their comments get to her. She had been foolish and was honestly quite glad she hadn't found the Joker. Now she was finally thinking with her head on straight, Spoiler knew that she could never have taken on the Joker by herself. Even Batman had trouble with fighting the Mad Clown Prince of Gotham. She would have gotten herself killed.

With a sigh, Spoiler yanked her black mask off her face. She felt like chucking the thing away and being done with the whole heroing business, but she knew that was only her depressed side talking. She folded it carefully and slipped it into her belt, she didn't feel like being Spoiler at that moment; she just wanted to be plain old Stephanie Brown for a while. Steph rolled her shoulders, trying to encourage some heat into her chilled body before turning on her heel and starting the long walk home.

She hadn't gone ten paces, when three men wearing clown masks and holding machine guns appeared out of a side alley she was about to turn into. For a second everybody froze. The thugs took in her costume and her utility belt, everything about her screamed hero. Then as one they raised their guns and pointed them at the still shocked girl.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Steph swore as she threw herself to one side. The silence of the early morning was shattered by the angry sound of hot lead being pumped from the barrels of the three guns. These thugs weren't like the ones she had taken down by the church; these ones didn't hesitate to shoot at her. Stephanie quickly pulled herself to her feet and set off at a sprint, dogging the bullets that tore at the ground behind her. Her tired muscles screamed at her to stop but she ignored them and upped her pace.

Stephanie couldn't believe her luck. She had spent hours searching for the Joker and when she had finally admitted defeat, three of his grunts had spotted her and now she was running for her life. Why did things like this always seem to happen to her?

As she ran, Spoiler spared a glance behind her, the thugs were catching up. Quickly she ducked into a side road. It was just in time, as she felt bullets catch the end of her cap as skidded into the dark alley. These guys were too fast! They were going to catch her if she stayed on the ground. With this thought in mind, Stephanie jumped up on top of a rusty dumpster before launching herself upwards. Her hands were stretched out, ready to grab a window ledge that was about 5 feet above her. She had just caught the edge when a shot rang out. At almost the exact same moment a burning, blinding pain exploded just below her knee.

"AGH-SHIT!" She swore, the pain was bright and demanded her attention. It was only by some miracle that Steph didn't let go of the edge. She hung suspended in the air for a second before mustering all of her will power and heaving herself through the open window.

Her muscles shaking and her head throbbing from the pain of a bullet wound, she nearly passed out when she finally collapsed on the dusty floor of the abandoned building she had just climbed into. _So __**this **__is what it feels like to be shot, _she mused to herself. With a groan she flipped over on to her back and stared at the ceiling as she tried to calm her savagely beating heart. She had never been shot before and the young child inside of her was screaming that she was going to die, that she was going to bleed out in this horrible dark room and that nobody would ever find her. Stephanie quickly shut these thoughts down and instead let the analytical side of her brain assess the situation. With quick deftness she tore her leggings open to reveal the wound. Blood was slowly oozing out of a hole in the side of her leg. It wasn't that bad, she told herself. It wasn't like blood was squirting like a fountain out of her. _So it hasn't hit an artery, that's good._ Stephanie's first aid knowledge was limited to what she had learnt in school and what daytime TV had taught her. Looking at her leg she knew that she had got lucky. It wasn't that bad. It was still bloody painful though. Stephanie reached behind her and tore a strip off her ruined cape. She quickly raped the makeshift bandage around her wound, tying it tightly. Hopefully that should stop the bleeding, how she was going to get the bullet out of her leg was a whole other matter though. But she didn't have time to do anymore just then. The sound of the door down stairs being smashed down interrupted her little doctor's session. By the sound of the heavy footsteps that reached her through the floor, Spoiler could tell that the three thugs had brought along some friends. She needed to get out of there **now**.

Teeth gritted, she heaved herself to her feet. She couldn't stop a small whimper from escaping her clenched jaw as her leg throbbed painfully. Spoiler hobbled over to the window and looked up, the roof of the building wasn't that far away, she could make it.

Two minutes later, Stephanie lay face down on top of the flat roof, her body shook slightly and her back was drench in sweat. The short climb upwards hadn't done her any favours. It took everything she had to get back up on her feet, but she managed it. By this time she was running purely on adrenaline and she knew she couldn't keep it up forever. All at once Steph found herself wishing she had stuck around at the Mountain long enough to get a communicator; she could really use some help right now.

Spoiler heard shouting coming from below her and peeked over the side of the building. At once she pulled her head back sharply as a trail of bullets whipped at the air where she had just been. She backed up a few paces, her heart thudding painfully in her chest.

"Okay," She murmured to herself, "time to do something _really_ stupid." She turned and started running towards the other side of the building. Her leg burned with each step but she didn't stop. The edge hurdled towards her, and then suddenly she leapt.

Time seemed to slow down while she was in the air. Then, seeming to realise its mistake it sped up to compensate. Stephanie reached out her arms to catch the edge of the next building over, but the gap was too wide. She wasn't going to make it. Too soon she began to drop and a startled gasp passed through her lips as she felt gravity take hold of her.

Suddenly a hand appeared out of nowhere and grasped her own bring her descent to abrupt halt.

"Wha..." She tried to ask.

"Need a hand?" Came the sound of a very familiar voice.

"Nightwing?" Spoiler gasped. And sure enough, when she looked up she was met with the sight of a dark haired man wearing a domino mask and a grin. He was lying on his stomach on the roof, half of his body off the edge. One of his hands was bracing himself against the brick work while the other was grasping hers securely.

Seemingly with ease he pulled her up until they were both standing on the roof.

"Care to tell me what you are doing in East Gotham at 4 o'clock in the morning and what all the gunfire is from?" He asked, his arms folded across his chest.

"I-I erm..." Stephanie stuttered. Just then he seemed to finally take in her dishevelled state.

"Are you ok, Spoiler?" He asked concern colouring in voice.

"I've been better," She laughed shakily "I'm just really glad to see you Nightwing. What are **you** doing here anyway?"

"I got the call when I was at the cave; Joker has broken out of Arkham. I was here doing some covert recon. I guess you ran into him then, going from the look of you." He said with a slight frown. He wasn't happy with her, she could tell.

"Not the Joker himself, just a couple of his goons." Spoiler replied

"We'll have to fix that then wont we!"A cackle sound from behind them. Spoiler found herself being forcefully shoved behind Nightwing as he got into a fighting position. A tall skinny man wearing a bright purple suit stepped into the light. His face was an unnatural pale colour that was made to look even worse from the bright green of his hair.

"Joker." Nightwing hissed.

"Well if it isn't my second favourite dance partner," his voice was high and unpleasant, "And he's brought a friend!" The Joker's delighted tone made Spoiler shiver with disgust.

"Leave her alone, Joker." Nightwing said as he stepped in front of Stephanie.

"Make me." The mad man replied. Whereas most people would say this as a challenge, when the Joker said it, it was more of a query. Like he really was interested on how the hero would stop him from hurting the young girl behind him.

Nightwing stood still for a moment, and then he moved with lighting speed. The air between the two heroes and the villain was suddenly filled with a thick black smoke, Stephanie couldn't see anything. She felt someone grab her arm and yank her onto his back. Then they were flying. Behind her she heard the sounds of the Joker laughing madly.

"What fun! A game of hide and seek! Fan out boys; we've got a birdie to catch!"

.oO Oo.

Nightwing and Spoiler ran behind a large dumpster and crouched on the floor, both of them were panting harshly. They had been hiding from the Joker for about 2 hours. Nightwing had hoped he would get bored and give up. But he hadn't. By now the Joker had them well and truly surrounded and he was slowly tightening the net. Spoiler was shattered, everything hurt and each breath was like broken glass. Nightwing was silent; he seemed to be thinking quickly. Finally he looked up and faced Stephanie.

"Look, you aren't gonna make it." He said bluntly "You can't take anymore of this."

Steph tried to protest, but she found that she just didn't have the energy, she knew what was coming next and she knew that there was no way she would be able to talk him out of it. Nightwing shuffled on his feet so that his back was now resting against the cool metal of the dumpster. What worried Stephanie was how tired he looked. And not just from running around nonstop for two hours. She had noticed it back in the cave, he was stretched too thin. She was sure that if she looked beneath the mask she would find eyes ringed with dark circles. After sitting in silence for a moment, the dark haired man finally cleared his throat and spoke.

"Here take this," He said handing her a sleek silver phone like device "Call Robin, he'll know what to do. And don't worry Steph, I'll be fine." His lips quirked upwards in a small smile.

Spoiler didn't know how he knew her name, but at that moment she didn't really care.

"Wait until I've got them focused on me then head north, out towards the river." He pulled her into a quick hug before standing up and slipping into the shadows. He didn't look back.

About three minutes later a shout went up, and then came the sound of fighting and a small explosion. There was a short bust of machine gun fire, followed by a deafening silence. Stephanie pulled herself to her feet trembling. Her insides felt like ice. Her hands shaking, she scrolled through the names on the small communicator he had given her. She selected the name Robin and held the device to her ear. After a few seconds a bright voice answered.

"Hey man, I was thinking I could skip school today, we could do something together. I mean we haven't really hung out since Bruce-"

Taking a deep breath she spoke "Robin?"

There was a second of silence before the questions started to come. Her exhausted mind tried to keep up but she was just too tired. He seemed to be asking who she was.

"Its-its Spoiler, something's happened." She whimpered, tears started to flow down her cheeks. "I-I need your help."

.oO Oo.

**A/N: OH NOEZ! WHAT'S HAPPENED TO NIGHTWING! Hehehe XD**

**Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed, it just goes to show that the more people who review the longer the chapters are :D I hope you like the nice cliff hanger I have left you all XD My sister read this and said I was evil, which I am kinda ok with!**

**If you liked it or just want to say how horrible I am leaving the story there, than please leave a review; they make me squirm with untold happiness :D **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm baaaack! :D Here is your new chapter, as promised :) There are a few things I'd like to say before you read the chapter**

**Firstly, this chapter is dedicated to the amazingly awesome Mariposa-Blossom aka ThatOneDiabeticGirl. Without her I wouldn't have been able to do half as good a job as I did on this chapter and the next, so thank you 3 :D**

**Next, there are references to Jason Todd in this chapter, nothing really obvious, but if you look for it you'll find it :)**

**Lastly, If you look you'll see that the rating for this fic has gone up. This is because there will be some pretty nasty scenes coming up, but really what else do you expect from a fic with Joker in it, he's not a nice fella.**

**I think that's it, the only thing left to say is enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review :D**

**ONWARDS!**

.oO Oo.

Emotions were like waves, they rolled and ebbed and flowed; sometimes quiet and peaceful other times chaotic and confusing, not knowing which way was up. M'gann had gotten quite good at blocking out the human emotions around her, their thoughts and feelings no longer affected her like they once did. However, her own emotions were not something she could ignore, though at that moment she wished she could. Ever since that horrible mission, M'gann had felt like she was drowning in sea of hurt, pain and anger. Kaldur had taken away her sister and her boyfriend and one of them she was never going to get back. Sometimes that realisation brought her sobbing to her knees. Artemis was never coming back.

The first few days after the funeral, M'gann had gone to bed each night hoping that when she woke up, she would find that she was just in another training simulation. That everyone was still alive and well. Wally and Artemis would be bickering like an old married couple. Nightwing would be laughing like he hadn't done since he hung up his Robin cape. Conner would hold her and tell her that he forgave her. Everything would be perfect.

But it wasn't going to happen, M'gann knew that and it broke her heart. Her family, once so close, had fallen apart. Their big brother, their leader, had betrayed them and now he had done the unforgivable. Two best friends were no longer talking, guilt and blame over Artemis's death driving a wedge between them. She and Conner could no longer look each other in the eye. And now M'gann had broken the last friendship standing. She had pushed Nightwing away; she had compared him to everything she knew he did not want to be. She had lashed out when all he had been trying to do was save the team from sinking into a depression.

M'gann stared at the ceiling of her room. Her eyes traced the multiple cracks and imperfections that made up the rough rock that hung above her. The rooms at the cave had been bare and unfriendly when she had first arrived, but after 5 years of living there they had finally started to feel like home. She had even found herself missing the unpainted rock walls and metal sliding doors when she had stayed on Rann for those few days a couple of months ago. Oh how she wished things could just go back to how they were all those months ago.

Her sad musings where interrupted by the sound of the computer alerting people in the cave to incoming zeta beam travellers. First came Robin's name and then the new girls. M'gann swung her legs off her bed and looked at the clock on her wall. It was just after 8 o'clock in the morning. She frowned in surprise; she had been in her room longer than she thought. For a second she wondered why Beast Boy hadn't come to check on her after the fight, then she realised Nightwing must have told him to leave her alone. _Where is Nightwing anyway?_ She thought. She had heard him leave the cave yesterday afternoon but she had expected him back and knocking on her door before now. The young man was never one to leave an argument unresolved, especially one with his team.

Suddenly a wave of emotion swept over her, pulling her to her feet. Before she knew what she was doing she was out of the door and flying down the corridor. The emotions she had felt were strong. Strong enough to get passed her barriers. This was not good, something had happened.

Not bothering with doors, M'gann fazed through every wall she came across, not stopping until she reached the owner of the fear, anger and dread that radiated throughout the cave.

As she flew, she felt the emotions slowly getting clearer as she got closer. With a final burst of speed she arrived in the control room. The first thing she noticed was Robin holding someone bridal style. As soon as she entered the room is was obvious that the emotions were coming from the young dark haired teen. He wasn't dressed in his Robin costume; instead he was wearing clothes that looked like they had been thrown on in a hurry. He had his utility belt slung over his shoulder and his dark glasses hid his eyes. Satisfied that he wasn't hurt, M'gann turned her attention to the girl in his arms. Her head was resting against Robin's chest and her long blond hair flowed over his arm. Her whole body was limp, she looked...

"What happened!?" M'gann asked as she rushed over, as she got closer she was relieved to see the girl's chest rising and falling with each breath she took.

"I don't know," The young ebony replied. As he spoke his emotions spiked again. "She said something about Nightwing and The Joker, and then she passed out." The boy's voice trembled slightly.

M'gann used her telekinesis to lift the unconscious figure out of Robin's arms; the girl didn't stir or make any noise at the movement.

"M'gann, she had this." Robin reached for his belt and took out a small silver devise. The Martian recognised it as their leader's communicator. It could only mean one thing. Nightwing was in trouble.

.oO Oo.

Getting the girl to the infirmary hadn't been hard, not with M'gann's powers. However, getting the bullet out of the blonde's leg was harder, but not impossible. She had been shocked to discover that the young teen was the new hero that she had met yesterday. She looked so much younger without her mask on. She had a pretty face with long blonde hair, she didn't look like a bad person and M'gann started to feel guilty for dismissing her without even getting to know her. When she had stormed out yesterday, she had been so angry with Nightwing that she hadn't thought about how her outburst must have affected the new girl. With a sigh M'gann finished tying a new bandage around Spoiler's leg, she would have to apologise when the girl woke up.

Leaving the girl to rest, she went to find Robin. She didn't have to go far; the young teen was sitting on the floor outside the hospital wing. He had his head resting on his crossed arms and in one hand he grasped Nightwing's communicator. He looked up as soon as she floated to a stop beside him.

"Is she alight?" The young hero asked

"She is going to be fine, apart from the bullet wound in her leg there is nothing else really wrong with her. I think she must have passed out from exhaustion. By the look of her I'd say she had been through a lot in the last few hours. I've put her in a medical coma so that her body can recover. She'll be awake in a couple of hours" M'gann spoke softly; she could still feel Robin's emotions crackle like electricity in the atmosphere around the room. Something was still bothering him. It hadn't just been the safety of Spoiler that had made him so upset earlier, there was something else. M'gann though she had a pretty good idea of what it was.

"You don't need to worry about Nightwing, you know. He can handle himself." She tried to make her voice as reassuring as possible, even though her own stomach clenched with worry for the ex-boy wonder.

"You don't understand," The boy whispered "This is the **Joker. **If he's got Nightwing...things will get ugly really quickly."

"You don't even know if he has got Nightwing though! All you have for evidence is a couple of words from an injured girl. You're letting your thoughts run away with you." M'gann placed a comforting hand on his arm.

"No! I know it!" Robin stood up suddenly and started pacing up and down "You may have faced the Joker before but that was years ago, he has changed. Ever since-" He stopped suddenly and looked over at her before starting to pace again. "Let's just say he has a track record with people that are close to Batman, he hurts people like me and Nightwing- kills them, to get close to Batman. He has done it before."

M'gann looked up in shock at the teen still walking up and down in front of her. She knew that something had happened in the Bat-family, something that had stopped Nightwing from laughing, something that made the older members of the Bat-family treat Robin like he couldn't handle himself-always giving him the softest missions.

"Robin, what hap-" She began

"What I'm trying to get at here is that Nightwing isn't safe." The teen interrupted

"Well what can we do? We don't know anything! We can't help him if we don't know where he is!" M'gann said in exasperation.

"Don't you think I know that?" Robin let himself slump to the floor. "And the thing is...I know exactly how to get the information that we need...I'm just trying to convince myself that it's worth it."

"If it gets Nightwing back safe, then of course it is! Where do we get the information from?" she said leaning forward excitedly.

"We get it from Spoiler."

"But...I don't understand, how can you get information from her if she is in a coma."

"I can't." Robin looked at her straight in the eye "But you can."

M'gann's eyes widened in realisation. At once misgivings swept through her mind. This was going against everything her Uncle had taught her. Spoiler wasn't even a villain. Then images of Nightwing swept through her mind- him as Robin laughing with Wally at the latest prank they had pulled, him laying on the floor, wet and coughing after nearly being drowned by Red Tornado's siblings, him yesterday, the look of shock and hurt that had crossed his face when she had said those awful things. And her resolve strengthened. Yes there were risks, but Nightwing's life was important. And at the moment, it was more important than the mind of a girl she didn't even know. Her eyes narrowed as she came to a decision.

"I'll do it."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: OMG! Thank you everyone who left a comment on the last chapter! I love you all! Here have these virtual cookies I made just for you! Tomorrow is my 17th Birthday YAAAY :) so I thought I'd post this today and let all your comments be my present for tomorrow :D **

**This chapter doesn't have much of Spoiler in it I'm sorry to say, but hopefully next chapter will be all about her. The one after that will be all Nightwing if everything goes to plan :D with some shameless Nightwing** **torture mixed in as well XD Again what do expect, it's the JOKER!**

**Now that school has started the updates might slow down a bit, but I'll try my best to make sure that doesn't happen :)**

**Love and ice cream to everyone!**

**Onwards!**

.oO Oo.

Robin's head snapped up, piecing M'gann with a look of disbelief.

"What? Just like that! **I'm **not even sure if it's a good idea! I was just brain-storming! You can't be seriously thinking about doing it?" He babbled, quickly backtracking. But M'gann's resolve was iron clad. She stood up and started walking back into the hospital wing.

"Now just wait! Wait a minute!" Robin shouted, he pushed himself in front of the green woman, effectively bringing her to a stop. "This isn't right! It was a stupid idea. There has to be another way. We'll just wait for her to wake up."

"But you said it yourself, Joker is dangerous! Do you really want Nightwing in his hands for any longer than he has to be?" M'gann said, fists clenched.

"A second ago you didn't even think the Joker had him! But as soon as I mention poking around in someone's head suddenly you believe me?! Do you even know how messed up that sounds!" Robin yelled, his own hands clenching fistfuls of his dark hair.

M'gann started to lose patience with the boy in front of her. The way he was talking...it sounded like he was implying that she enjoyed going into someone's mind, enjoyed ripping information out of people. But she didn't. She didn't like ripping people minds apart; it gave a sick feeling in her stomach. Even with those little aliens she had encountered on Rann, she hadn't enjoyed shredding his mind to find the information the league needed. But it had needed to be done. Some people had to make the hard choices otherwise lives would be lost. And she was damned if she was going to let Nightwing die for the privacy of a stranger. But as she looked at Robin she knew that he would never let her do it to the girl currently lying in the infirmary. She had seen the way he had looked at her, the way he had held her limp body. The boy liked her, and he didn't even know it yet. But there wasn't time to persuade him, she was going to have to be merciless.

"Listen Robin," M'gann said in a flat voice "Nightwing will most probably die if we don't get to him soon, you know that. What would Batman say if he comes home to find him dead? How do you think he'll treat you knowing that you had a perfectly good chance to save him, but didn't." M'gann softened her voice "I know you think of him as your brother, are you really going to let him die for a girl you don't even know? It's your choice Robin...but you know in your heart what Batman would do."

As she was speaking Robin's head had been bent, his fists were clenched and his whole body was taught. But slowly it loosened, his hands went limp by his sides and his shoulders slumped forward. A second passed. Then another. Then, without a word, he stepped to one side.

As M'gann passed the boy she caught a glimpse of his face. It was almost enough to convince her not to do it, never before had she seen such a look of indecision and worry on the young bat. But like she said, Nightwing was more important. She looked away, pushing aside the feelings of doubt.

_Hold on Nightwing_ she thought as she entered the hospital wing _help is on the way._

.oO Oo.

The air was cold, not cold enough to freeze water but cold enough so that when you breathed, your breath misted in front of you. There was also a persistent dripping noise that echoed throughout the room. These were two things that Nightwing was sure of. They were facts. They were also the first things he noticed as his mind fought to regain consciousness. Keeping his breathing steady and his body still, the former Boy Wonder reached out his senses, was he alone? He couldn't hear anyone else breathing except him, there was no other tale tale noise of human life; the rustling of clothes or the squeak of shoe. After a few more seconds he decided it was probably safe to open his eyes. He glanced around the room quickly and his gaze fell on the only thing in the small space with him. Well he wasn't wrong but he wasn't right either. It was safe to open his eyes, but he was by no definition alone.

Nightwing himself was tied to a chair, but on the other side of the room (he was beginning to think it was a giant refrigerator, what with the cold temperature and the thick white door) was a body. It looked to be a young man, not much older than he was. He had an unkept look about him; straggly facial hair grew on his cheeks along with the signs of acne. The side of his head had been bashed in. It was obvious this was what had killed him; someone had hit him hard enough to cause part of his skull to cave in leaving a sizable dent in the poor guys head. Nightwing pulled his eyes away from the gruesome sight; there was nothing he could do for him. But there was still time to save himself from the same fate; he just needed to figure out what had happened. He remembered leaving Spoiler, getting the thugs' attention, being shot at...then nothing. The next thing he knew he was waking up in an industrial size fridge with a dead guy. He gave himself the once over, he hadn't been shot as far as he could tell and he didn't have a head injury, why then did he pass out? As he thought through the possibilities he worked on trying to get the ropes that bound his hands to the chair loose, but there wasn't any room to manoeuvre. Who ever had tied him up had done a really good job of it. Normally he could have got out of the ropes using the small knife concealed in his gloves but his captor had thought of that. His shoes and gloves had been removed along with the top part of his costume. To his relief his mask had been left on. With a sigh, Nightwing stopped struggling, it was no use, and he was rubbing his wrists raw and not getting anywhere. While he had worked something had been nagging at the back of his mind, something he had overlooked.

Suddenly the door swung open revealing one of the last things he ever wanted to see while he was tied to a chair and everything snapped into place. The reason he had been running all over Gotham, the reason he had even been with Spoiler in the first place.

"Well if it isn't my favourite birdie! How nice of you to pop in!" The unnatural voice followed by the demented laugh that had always made Nightwing's hairs stand up on the back on his head. The Joker had captured him. Something that had plagued his mind for a couple of years now. And he knew that the chances of getting out of this situation alive were dropping by the minute.

.oO Oo.

"It won't hurt her?" Robin asked as he watched M'gann settle herself in a seat next to the sleeping girl.

"It won't hurt her unless she tries to hide the information from me, but why would she do that? She has nothing to worry about. Anyway because she is unconscious there is a better chance of success. There may even be a chance that she won't even remember me being in her mind. Now, quiet I need to concentrate."

Robin reached over and grabbed M'gann's hand, stopping her from placing it on the girl's brow. She looked up to find the young hero staring at her with a frightening intensity.

"I know what you've been doing M'gann. If you do the same to Spoiler I will personally make sure you never set foot on this planet again" He spoke quietly and calmly but never the less, M'gann still felt a chill work its way up her spine, she nodded mutely and Robin removed his hand.

M'gann took a calming breath then reached out both with her hand and with her mind. The girl had surprisingly tough barriers for someone never taught how to protect their mind. However, as her uncle had told her, M'gann's powers were extreamly strong. All it took was a small push and she was inside.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi guys! Sorry this one took a while :( but school has been really full on. I have been using every prep I had free to write a bit more :) Thank you to everyone that wished me a happy birthday, it really made my day! 3**

**So this one is pretty long, I hope you like it :D As always please review, it inspires me to write! :D**

**Onwards!**

.oO Oo.

M'gann had been on earth for just over 6 years now. For 6 years she had been surrounded with millions of alien minds. And human minds were very alien, at least compared to Martians. On mars, people communicated through telepathy, this meant that through generations and a steady evolutional process, their minds had become eloquent, able to communicate with ease. It was much like the humans and their own spoken language.

Human minds however were very different. Having never had to use them to communicate, they were always a jumble of emotions, memories and thoughts; unorganised and raw. M'gann had first noticed this when she created the psychic link between her and her team mates for the first time. The only way they were able to communicate effectively was if they spoke words in their minds as if they were talking.

When she had first arrived on the planet it had been a little overwhelming. Her uncle had tried to describe a human mind to her before they arrived.

"_Human minds are extremely basic and complicated at the same time" _He had said in his soft, low voice. _"Like Martians, each human's mind has its own distinct feel; however that is where the similarities end. Their minds flit so quickly between subjects and emotion, they have no control. They also have no subtlety; their thoughts are often loud and obtrusive. That is the basic part of their minds. However, if you dig deep enough, past the surface thoughts, past the emotions, past the memories, you'll find something so large and complicated and __**alien. **__I talked to Superman about it when I discovered it. He told me it sounded like what the humans call their soul. When I asked Batman he said that was nonsense and that Superman was being a sentimental fool."_

M'gann remembered giggling at this.

"_But the most important thing you must remember about the human mind is that to them it is extremely private. And to enter their mind without permission is not something that can be easily forgiven."_

.oO Oo.

As soon as M'gann entered Spoiler's mind she became aware of the _**feel**_ of her. Each mind had its own feel, almost a mix of taste, smell and emotion. Her favourite mind feel she had ever come across had been Superboy's. His had been a strange mix of the natural smell of apples and a light metallic taste, the sort you get if you touch something metal with the tip of your tongue.

Spoiler's mind feel was quite different. First came a sweet smell, something warm and natural like honey. Then came a sent that M'gann would recognise anywhere. After cooking for Wally for 4 years she didn't think she would ever forget the comforting smell of freshly cooked waffles. Then came an emotion, so strong that it had actually ingrained itself on the girl's personality. The feeling of betrayal and anger and pain and then, the smell of damp concrete.

M'gann curiosity grew, what had happened to this girl that had made such an impression on her life, on her personality. Tentatively M'gann pressed herself deeper into the dark place in the young girls mind. Suddenly M'gann found herself being dragged forward and hurtled into a memory.

_A young girl sat at a grubby kitchen table. In her small hand was a fork that seemed much too big for her and she seemed to be having some trouble in maneuvering it, finally she managed to scoop some of the beans off her plate. With a look of intense concentration she slowly lifted the utensil towards her mouth. Suddenly the sound of a door slamming shut broke the silence. The girl jumped and her fork went flying. Before she had the chance to pick it up a tall man stomped into the badly lit room._

_Ignoring the young girl that was scrabbling around on the floor for her fork, the man dumped a brown sack on the table. It clanked as if it contained something heavy and metal. The man then paused and ran a hand over his long blond hair. Then without warning, he spun and grabbed the arm of the little girl who was at that moment trying to wash her fork in the sink. _

"_Stephanie, where is your mother?" The man growled. The blond girl, Stephanie, didn't wince even though from where M'gann was standing, it looked like he was holding her arm very tightly._

"_She's upstairs. Where did you go Daddy?" Stephanie asked her voice young and high._

_The man yanked the young girl towards him. "How many times do I have to tell you, you don't ask that! Or do you want the police to take Daddy away?" _

_The girl shook her blond head fearfully._

"_Good." The man let his daughter's arm go suddenly, causing her to stumble and fall on her bottom. Without looking at her, the man swept out of the room._

_Stephanie sat there for a moment before getting to her feet. Slowly she walked to the table and sat down. As she reached for her plate, her hand brushed against the sack that was still resting on the table. The girl glanced around the room quickly before pushing her cold food out of the way and reaching for the sack. Slowly she opened it and took a peek. _

_Suddenly a muffled shout came from beyond the room. Stephanie froze and then quick as lightening pushed the sack away from her. She jumped down off her chair and sped out of the room, only pausing to drop her plate in the sink._

_M'gann found herself following the girl as she ran up the stairs. Without stopping Stephanie ran straight to a room that M'gann guessed was hers. The girl dived under her thread bare cover and laid there, her small body trembling slightly._

_Suddenly a muffled raised voice came through the wall._

"_Don't shout at me, Arthur!" A shrill voice came through._

"_You stupid bitch! You've gone and wasted all of it! Do you have any idea how hard it is to make money nowadays with a stupid myth scaring off all my guys! No matter how many times I tell them that this Batman isn't real, they still won't help!"_

_A quieter mumble came through._

"_What did you say to me?" Came the man's voice._

_There was a pause. Then:_

"_I said, Maybe Batman wouldn't be a problem if you did honest work for once!" The woman's voice was even shriller than before and M'gann could hear a tremor that gave away how scared this woman was._

"_YOU DON'T GET TO TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" There came the sound of flesh hitting flesh and a small scream. "I'M THE ONLY ONE BRINGING MONEY INTO THIS FUCKING FAMILY! ME! WITHOUT ME YOU WOULDNT BE ABLE TO FEED YOUR ADICTION! YOU WILL SHOW ME THE RESPECT I DESERVE!"_

_There was the sound of another hit and then nothing but a quiet sobbing. Then a door opened and the sound of someone stomping down the stairs reached M'gann. _

_Slowly M'gann walked over to the little girl. She was still trembling. M'gann didn't know what to feel. She had no idea that this would be what she found if she went into Spoilers mind. It was clear to her now that this little girl was Spoiler. She felt a mix of pity and guilt rise up inside her. M'gann found that she didn't want to see anymore. She didn't want to delve deeper into the girls mind. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right. _

"_What the…STEPHANIE!" The man's voice split through the small house again. "YOU'VE BEEN INTO MY STUFF HAVENT YOU, YOU LITTLE BRAT! JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"_

_There came the sound of someone stomping up the stairs. M'gann felt panic for the young girl build up inside her, what was going to happen?_

Then suddenly the little girl stood up and turned to face M'gann_._

"What are you doing?! Why are you here?!" M'gann felt something sharp dig into her mind, she let out a gasp of pain.

"I-its not possible! H-how-" She stuttered

"GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!" The girl screamed, her yells mixing with the vulgar threats coming from her father.

"B-But!" M'gann gasped again as the pain built in her head.

"YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED IN HERE!"

M'gann felt herself being hurled backwards. The room disappeared around her. A final jab pushed into her mind and then M'gann found herself push all the way out.

.oO Oo.

Robin stopped his pacing to glance at the clock on the wall yet again. It had been almost 10 minutes since M'gann had entered Spoiler's mind. So far nothing had happened, both women had been quiet and still. Robin sighed; all he could think about was Nightwing. Was he hurt? Was he even alive? He shook his head, he couldn't let himself think like that, Nightwing **had **to be alive he just had to! The boy wonder was just about to start pacing again when a small moan came from the hospital bed. Robin dashed over to the unconscious girl, her eyes were moving rapidly under the lids and her fingers had begun to twitch.

_It's not possible! _Robin thought. _She has enough medication in her system to keep her under for at least another hour!_

Suddenly M'gann spoke. ""I-it's not possible! H-how-"

"M'gann! What's going on! Can you hear me? **M'gann!**" Robin ran over to the Martian woman, she was holding her head in pain but didn't seem to be able to hear him.

"B-But!" She gasped out.

_That's it _thought Robin. _She needs to get out of there._ He grabbed both of her arms ready to shake the green girl awake. Just then the zeta tube activated and the female computer voice rang out throughout the cave.

"Recognised Batgirl B16"

Almost at the same moment M'gann let out a startled gasp and her eyes flew open. But Robin couldn't ask her what had happened because the room was suddenly filled with a scream of terror and rage. The purple clad girl launched herself off her bed towards M'gann. The Martian couldn't do anything but protect her face before Spoiler was on her. Both girls fell to the floor, Spoiler on top; trying to punch as much of M'gann as she could reach.

"Spoiler no!" He cried trying to pull the enraged girl off. Suddenly M'gann's eyes glowed green and Spoiler was flying through the air. Her back slammed into the far wall of the hospital and she slid to the floor with a moan of pain, her injured leg spread out in front of her.

Just at that moment Batgirl ran through the door, in her hand she held a bat-a-rang ready to throw. Her arm slowly lowered as she took in the scene.

Robin stood in the middle of the room his arms stretched out, his mouth open in shock. M'gann was sitting on the floor with a split lip. And Spoiler was propped up against the wall shaking in her ripped up costume, a fresh bandage wrapped around her leg.

"What hap-"Batgirl started to ask but she was interrupted.

"H-how could you? W-why would you do this to me? How could you be so cruel?" Spoiler whispered she seemed to have calmed down; all the anger drained from her body.

"I-I..." Robin stammered before M'gann cut in.

"It was the only way. Nightwing's life was at risk- still is at risk." Spoiler stared at her, eyes wide. "Listen, Stephanie-"

Spoiler flinched suddenly and then Robin was amazed to see her whole demeanour change. Her eyes narrowed and her fist clenched in fury.

"Don't. You. Dare." She hissed at M'gann. She stared at the Martian for a whole minute. Then slowly she tried to get to her feet, she wobbled a bit and Robin stepped forward as if to help.

"Don't touch me" She snarled at him. He backed away as if he had been stung.

Spoiler walked slowly towards the door, it was obvious from the way she walked that she was in a lot of pain, but she didn't let that show on her face. When she was gone Batgirl turned to the youngest member of her family.

"Somebody better explain what the hell happened here!" She said, her eyes narrowed in anger.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hi :) So who saw the new episode? I thought it was pretty good but also disappointing after such a long wait :S feel free to tell me what you all though, I would love to hear your opinions :D**

**Thanks again for the reviews, and to X, your enthusiasm is much appreciated so thank you XD I will try to update every other week, it would be sooner but school is really full on :( sorry**

**Now for this chapter you are going to need some background knowledge about the second Robin, Jason Todd. Up until this moment I have tried to not say anything definite about him as I wasn't sure if he would be appearing in young justice, but now we know he is :D I'm going to be sticking mostly to Batman Under the Red Hood facts for this story. If you already know Jason's story then feel free to skip this next part :)**

**So, basically Jason Todd was the second Robin, he was caught trying to steal the tires off the Batmobile so Batman took him in and trained him up. He died when the Joker caught him and beat him with a crowbar; he then blew him up. Nasty. That is really all you need know for this story :)**

**Onwards!**

.oO Oo.

Nightwing felt cold all over, and it wasn't just because he had very little clothing on and was in a giant fridge. Sure that was probably the reason for the goose bumps all over his arms but it had very little to do with the fact that his blood felt like liquid ice running through his veins.

He had been captured by the Joker, one of Gotham's most notorious villains. The one villain that had succeeded in getting to Batman. The dark haired man tried to calm his breathing; it wouldn't help him if he started to panic. He glanced up at the Joker again who hadn't said anything else in the last few minutes. At that moment he seemed to be sizing Nightwing up; looking at him like he was a piece of meat ready for the chopping board. He did not like that; he did not like that at all. Quickly the former boy wonder blurted out the first thing that came into his mind. He wanted to distract the clown, stall him.

"Who was he?"

"Who was who?" Joker asked absentmindedly, he raised his hands in the classic cameraman angle as if he was trying to get the best shot.

Nightwing shifted uncomfortably under his mad gaze.

"Who was he?" He said again, this time jerking his head in the direction of the dead man lying in the corner.

The Joker turned to look at the body.

"Huh. You know I honestly didn't remember that I had put him in here" He said straight faced, scratching his green head before giggling like a maniac. "And to answer your question: I don't know who he is" The man grinned a piranha smile; showing all his teeth.

The Joker walked around the back of Nightwing. The hero swivelled his head desperate to keep the mad man within his sights.

"He was just a warning really," The man sighed as if the brutal murder of the boy had been an awful tragedy. "He and his partner were caught talking about my business while they did a little job. In fact I'm pretty sure it's what led your purple friend straight to me. Of course I couldn't let that go unpunished. So I 'rescued' them from the cops so that I could have an… ah private word with them." The Clown laughed again.

Nightwing jerked when he felt cold fingers running over his wrist where he had been trying to get out of the ropes that bound him. The Joker tutted as he prodded the raw skin.

"Now now bird boy we can't have you hurting yourself, that's my job. That **is** why you came to your uncle Jay, right? You heard what I did to your little friend and wanted to see what all the fuss was about." The Joker sniggered

"Don't you dare talk about him! Don't you dare!" Nightwing strained against the ropes again trying to shake off the sickening touch on his wrists. He wanted to be sick, he wanted to run away. He wanted to pound the Joker into the floor until it was stained with his blood.

The Joker let out a high pitch laugh that made Nightwing's hairs stand up on the back on his neck.

"Oooh did I touch a nerve there bird brains? I had forgotten how much fun you Robins are! Of course you don't actually wear the costume anymore, but in my heart you'll always be that little brat that liked to mess with words." He patted the dark haired man on the head, "Ah they grow up so fast." The Joker said as he wiped an imaginary tear away.

"And now there is a _new_ Robin! I know you and bats have been trying to keep him away from me, I have no idea why! The things I could share with him…" The psychopath sighed almost wistfully. "Like _**this!**_"

A blinding pain exploded on the side of Nightwing's head. For a moment he was sure he was going to pass out, but slowly the blackness that was bleeding into his vision receded leaving him gasping. He raised his pounding head to stare at the Joker. He was standing in front of him again and in his hands he was holding a rusty crowbar. Nightwing struggled to focus on the mad man's words.

"Now this," He said, stroking the metal fondly "is my _special_ crowbar. We've had some good times together, me and her."

Nightwing looked blankly up at him.

"Still not clicking?" He sighed "Here maybe this will make things clearer." The Joker shoved the bar towards the Hero's face. Now that he could see it close up he was able to see a crudely drawn 'R' on the side of the stained metal, followed by a date. A date that was very familiar to Nightwing. Horror rose slowly up inside him as he studded what he had first thought was rust. It wasn't rust. It was dried blood.

"Now normally I'm not one for repeating a joke twice, but this one is just so damn funny!" The joker cackled, swinging the crowbar back and forth. Nightwing felt his heart start to pound uncomfortably in his chest at the whistling sound it made through the air.

"How do you break a bat?" He paused as if waiting for an answer. "You hit it with a crowbar."

Nightwing couldn't stop the shiver of fear run up his spine as the Joker's face split in a wide grin.

"Now tell me the truth birdie, which hurts more, a or b?


End file.
